Catherine: Love is Over
by jasontaylorblogs
Summary: Caught in the middle of an accidental affair, Shining Armor is thrown into a nightmare that continues every night. Being forced to climb the large tower of blocks above him or die at the hands of the creatures that chase him, he must reach the door at the end and continue living one more day at a time. All he wants is to set things right and end his affair before it's too late.


We've all heard the stories. Men who cheat are cursed. Men who refuse to commit to a relationship are cursed. Men who refuse to settle down and contribute to the population of society are cursed. We all know the tale of the succubus and womanizer, the judgment of men unfit to be allowed to continue wasting a woman's time. Thomas Mutton has told this tale oh-so many times.

But now his eyes see farther. His negative feelings for the unfaithfulness of man have grown tenfold since the day Vincent Brooks beat him in his own game. Having done his job for the third time on Earth, Thomas has decided to turn his eyes toward another world entirely. With the help of the Divine Overseer Astaroth, Thomas has moved on to purge a new world of the unfaithful swine known as man.

My name is Trisha, the Midnight Venus, and I would like to welcome you back to the Golden Playhouse for another exciting tale of another man who climbs the endless tower to reach his ultimate goal. After Thomas's humiliating defeat at the hands of Vincent, he has decided to try and purge a new world of the unfaithfulness that haunts the hearts of every man.

I would like for you to join us tonight as we recount the tale of the stallion that was dragged into this mess, in almost an identical fashion as our beloved Vincent. Turning his eye away from the world of humans, Thomas has used his pull with the Demon Lord Nergal and Divine Overseer Astaroth to take a new form. His new world is a simple, happy place. But it's still filled to the brim with unfaithful swine and detestable vermin.

This new world isn't filled with humans or even demons. This new world is inhabited by ponies. Magical, sentient, and carefree ponies. Thomas has turned his eyes to the wonderful world of Equestria. But is this new world too much for his judging eyes to handle? Can he really rightfully judge the injustice of the men of this new world? Well, he's certainly going to try.

The star of tonight's show, and the first true victim of Thomas's judgment in this new world, is Shining Armor. He's the captain of the Royal Family's guard, and a loving stallion. He's been with his lover Princess Mi Amore Cadenza for nearly three years, but the two of them have yet to tie the knot. When an unfortunate series of events unfold, Armor finds himself cast into the game created by Thomas and has his life flipped around.

Can Shining Armor truly decide what it is he wants in his life, and make the choice between the two mares vying for his love and companionship? Or will he face a horrible end at the hands of the creatures that haunt his nightmares? We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?

_Night 0, Stray Stallion- 12:32am_

Just down the road from Canterlot Castle, a new bar was being opened. It was a small establishment, no larger than the average bar in a crowded city like New York. The place was decorated nicely, with paintings and miscellaneous collectibles hanging about the walls. The booths were made of solid polished oak and soft leather. The bar stools were made of black marble and had leather cushions. The bar counter was crafted from the finest white marble. The shelves behind the counter were stocked full of just about every kind of alcohol known to both man- and pony-kind

Aside from a single stallion standing behind the counter, the bar was completely empty. It hadn't even officially opened yet, as the building had just been bought the previous day. The stallion was tall, lean, and old. He had the look of an aged, experienced pony. His mane was a silver-gray color, and his coat was an off-white color. His eyes were covered with a pair of reflective black sunglasses, even though it was already dimly lit in the bar. He wore a white suit around his front legs and torso, with a bowtie around his neck. He looked like a sophisticated stallion.

The stallion let out a sigh, "What have I gotten myself into…?" He was busy shining the many mugs and glasses laid out on the counter, stacking them into the shelves under it. He shook his head in disappointment, shining glass after glass.

He heard a ringing noise sound from the direction of the bar's front door. Turning to look, he saw a beautiful mare come trotting up to the counter. The mare's coat was a light pink shade, and her long, flowing mane was a bright blond color. She wore a white, skin-tight dress, like one you would wear for a somewhat-formal dinner party. The dress was low cut, and the sleeves were virtually nonexistent. The dress was held together around her neck with a small red ribbon tied in a bow.

She trotted up to the counter, taking a seat on one of the brand new barstools. She giggled, "It's only been a day and you've already got the place cleaned up!" She had a sensual, alluring tone to her voice.

The stallion groaned, "What business could you have in a place like this? Don't you have humans to seduce somewhere? I haven't even asked for your help yet!" He maintained a composed posture, all the while shining the mugs.

The mare waved her hoof, "You didn't think I'd let you have all the fun in a new world, did you? I've never been with a pony before!"

The stallion shot her an angry glare from behind his shades. "I don't need you ruining this for me again. The last time you interfered with a victim, he ended up beating the daylights out of me."

The mare laughed, "You had that coming, you old geezer! You shouldn't have messed with Vincent!"

The stallion placed the final mug into the shelves under the counter. He sighed, "I can see that now. But why are you here? Don't you have a job to do?"

The mare laughed, "Aw c'mon, Boss! You don't think I would just swing by for no reason, do you? Daddy sent me to give you a helping hand! Er, I mean hoof!" She raised a hoof, a smile on her face.

The stallion's jaw dropped, "Lord Nergal sent you here? B-but why? I thought he didn't approve of your line of work…"

The mare giggled, "He doesn't approve. But I'm a succubus, it's what I do. He doesn't have a say in the matter."

The stallion smiled, "That is true. Do you have any unsuspecting stallions lined up yet?"

"A few. Some here in Canterlot. There's a few in some other towns. I've got one or two in a small town called Ponyville. And even more in the city of Manehattan." The mare looked at the stallion with alluring eyes.

The stallion scoffed, "I'll be certain to inform you if I find a stallion that needs a little…convincing…that he's not quite ready to commit. But try not to overload yourself, Ms. Catherine. There are only so many hours in a day."

The mare laughed, "Boss, you've still got that dry humor! How're you holding up being a pony?"

The stallion cleared his throat, "It's not bad. I wasn't expecting Astaroth to actually turn me into a pony, but I suppose that's for the best. I've yet to see a single human here."

The mare smiled, "It's because there aren't any. Daddy told me this place is ran by nothing but mythological creatures. Unicorns, pegasi, griffons, dragons, et cetera. Well, I need to get going now, Boss! I'll check back tomorrow!"

The stallion nodded. He chuckled, "Don't get too many ponies in trouble, Ms. Catherine. I would hate to have to report you to your father."

The mare turned at the door and giggled, "You wouldn't do that! You know you need me!" She blew the stallion a kiss and walked out of the bar.

The stallion was left alone in silence to ponder his thoughts. He sighed, "I need a drink." Taking a glass from under the counter and pulling a bottle of whiskey from the shelves behind him, he popped the top and poured the glass to the brim. In a single swig, he downed the entire glass. Placing a cork in the opened whiskey bottle, he placed it under the counter. He rinsed the glass out in the sink below the shelves of alcohol and dried it with his cloth.

Thomas Mutton was here to do a job. He was here to rid the world of the unfaithful stallions that refused to commit. If they needed a little convincing that they were unfaithful, Catherine would provide that convincing. The two had worked together for years, the Demon Lord Nergal never actually accepting his daughter's occupation. Just like her mother, she was a succubus, and had to do what she did.

Thomas's eyes shined brightly beneath his shades. He was going to open the bar to the public the following night, and he would keep a watchful eye open for any pony that seemed to need a little convincing…or a little judgment…

**"Those who are faithful know only the trivial side of love; it is the faithless who know love's tragedies" -Oscar Wilde**


End file.
